Closure seal



April 19, 1960 v. A. B|c|ccH| 2,932,862

cLosuRE SEAL Filed April 21, 1958 United States Patent O CLOSURE SEAL Vincent A. Bicicchi, Berwyn, lll., assignor toHenry Pratt Co., a corporation of Illinois Application April 21, 1958, Serial No. 730,014

7 Claims. (Cl. 20-69) This invention relates to a seal and in particular to a seal for use with a closure member such as a door in a lock into a containment vessel.

The seal of the instant invention comprises an improvement of the seal disclosed in the co-pending application of Saar and Bicicchi, Serial No. 617,179, filed October 19, 1956, for a Door Structure for Personnel and Material Locks. The instant seal provides improved ease of installation and removal relative to the door construction while precluding undesirable leakage of the pressurized fluid effecting inflation of the seal.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a new and improved seal for use with a closure member.

Another object is to provide such an inflatable seal having a connecting portion arranged for use with new and improved securing means.

A further object is to provide such a seal having reinforcing means in the body thereof arranged to preclude leakage of pressurized liquid from the inflation chamber of the seal.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary top plan 'view of a material and personnel lock structure having a door provided with a seal embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section showing the door in elevation and taken substantially along line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken approximately along the line 3-3 in Fig. 2.

The seal structure of the present invention is primarily intended for use in lock structures leading into containment vessels for nuclear reactors. The locks are used to pass both material and personnel into the vessels and generally have two spaced doors in a tunnel-like lock. y The doors are so operated that one can not be opened unless the other is closed and locked. The seal is4 placed generally about the door and, when inflated, seals the edge space about the door. The structure of the lock and doors is more particularly pointed out in the above identified copending application.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention as disclosed in the drawings, a seal generally designated `is mounted on a closure member or door 11 of a material and personnel lock 12 leading into a containment vessel C. Two spaced door units D are provided in the lock.

In the instant invention, a seal 10 is arranged to be mounted on door 11 so as to be readily installable thereon `and removable therefrom. Means are provided in the seal to reinforce the same particularly at the portions Patented Apr. 19, 1960 More specifically, lock 12 comprises a tunnel 13 in which are mounted the doors 11. The doors are carried on the tunnel structure by means of hinges 14 permitting the doors to be positioned alternatively in a closed position extending transversely across tunnel 13, as seen in Fig. 2, and in an open position (not shown) wherein the door may be swung out of its frame to lie adjacent the side wall of the tunnel. Each of the doors is similar to the other; thus, for a complete understanding of the instant invention, the description of one such door will sullce.

Mounted on a dividing wall 13a in tunnel 13 to define the opening to be controlled by door 11 is a heavy metal plate liner 15. Seal 10 is mounted on the door in a manner to have sealing engagement with liner 15 along the entire length thereof. The seal itself is preferably formed of rubber molded to the requisite cross sectional shape and joined end to end to make a continuous annular seal for the periphery of the door.

Referring particularly to Fig. 3 showing a section through the seal as mounted on the door, the body 16 of rubber has an outer mid-portion 17 which may move outwardly under influence of fluid admitted to an inflation chamber 18 within the body. The manner in which fluid is admitted to the inflation chamber is of particular importance as experience has shown this to be a sourcel of difliculty. Herein the seal is provided with a wall portion 19 defining a passage 20 communicating with the inflation chamber and adapted to be connected with a source of pressurized fluid. The passage 20 may be used to inflate and deflate the seal.

Body 16 is further provided with a pair of generally annular connection portions or flanges 21 extending longitudinally outwardly on opposite sides of the body and concentric therewith.

The door structure is particularly made to easily receive the seal structure in an operative position. Door 11 comprises a pair of panel members 22 facially spaced by means of an annular plate 23 spaced inwardly from. the outer peripheral edges 24 of the door members a distance comparable to the thickness of body 16. Plate 23 is secured to panelmembers 22 by suitable means such as welding. Thus arranged, plate 23 and the peripheral portions of tunnel members 22 define an annular well 26 in which the seal 10 is received to dispose outer surface 27 of the body flush with edges 24 when the seal is in the unexpanded condition (as seen in full lines in Fig. 3).

lMeans are provided for sealingly connecting a source of pressurized fluid to chamber 18 from within the door construction between panel members 22. This means is shown to comprise a tubular stem 28 projecting through opening 25 of plate'23 and having an inner end 29 sealingly molded in a support ring 30 secured to wall portion 19, whereby the bore 31 of the stem 28 comprises an extension of passage 20'. Support ring 30 is preferably formed of rubber and is bonded as by vulcanizing to body 16 to be substantially integral therewith. Outer end 32 of stem 28 is threaded for sealing connection thereto of a flexible hose or pipe connected to the source of pressurized fluid which may be a bottle of suitable pressurized gas. The mid-portion of the stem comprises a hexagonal arrangement of tool engaging flats 28a permitting the stem to be held securely during connection of the hose or pipe to outer end 32 thereby preventing any tendency of stern inner end 29 to twist loose from ring 30.

A pair of rigid clamp bars 33 are provided to secure seal 10 in well 26 with flanges 21 engaging plate 23 and with stem 28 extending through opening 25 of the plate. Flanges 21 are substantially thinner than the remainder of the body and the thickness of clamp bars 33 is made to be equal to the difference therebetween so that when the bolts 34 which extend through suitable openings 35 in t clamp bars 33, openings 36 in flanges 21 and openings 37 in plate 23.

While the resilient material of which the seal is con- Y structed may possess substantial tensile strength, it has been found desirable to reinforce the seal to prevent a rupture thereof which would cause the door to lose its sealing closure-across the tunnel and which, in certain installations (such as atomic reactor installations), could have very serious consequences. Such reinforcing means have heretofore comprised annular fabric means extending transversely across the body .to terminate just short of the laterally .outer edges of the connecting portions. Where the flanges are continuous (i.e., no openings such as openings 36 are provided therein), the fact that some of the pressurized iluid used to inflate the seal may leak from chamber 18 and to the fabric is of no serious consequence. However, where, as in the instant seal means, the connecting portions are discontinuous (at openings 36 therein), should pressurized fluid pass to the reinforcing means it could further pass therefrom along the bolts 34 and outwardly therefrom. To prevent this, a reinforcing means 38 is provided in the instant seal which, while extending through flanges Z1 so as to have communication with openings 36 therein, is spaced from inilation chamber 18 and passage 20 rso that no communication is had `between the reinforcing means and the chamber or passage. The spacing of the reinforcing means from passage 2t) is effected through provision of an opening 39 in the reinforcing means through which the solid seal body portionr 19 extends. Reinforcing means 38 comprises one or more annular fabric layers molded integrally into the seal Abody by suitable, conventional means. The openings 36 in anges 21 are continued through the reinforcing means to define openings 40 therein whereby the bolts 34 may be passed completelythrough the flanges and reinforcing fabric to be secured to plate 23. In. use, the sealing closure of tunnel 13 is effected by arranging the door 11 in the closed position of Fig. 2. Pressurized fluid, such as lair, is then admitted into chamber 18 through stem 28 and passage 20 of the body. The introduction of the pressurized fluid into the chamber 18 'Lnates the seal so as to cause surface 27 thereof to move to the sealing position, as seen in dotted lines in Fig. 3, wherein the sealing surface engages liner of the tunnel wall means. No pressurized fluid can pass from chamber 13 or passage 20 to reinforcing means (and thence outwardly along bolt 34) as the reinforcing means is sepa- Y rated therefrom `by a solid mass of substantially imperviens sealing material.

if, for any reason, it is desired to remove the seal li? from door 11, such removal is readily effected by withdrawal of bolts 3d to permit removal of clamping bars 33 grid the free Withdrawal of the seal from well 26 of the oor.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for the clcarness of understanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom for some modications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

.l claim:

1. An inilatable seal for a closure, comprising: an annular body of resilient seal material having arcentral enlargement and an outwardly extending flange at either side of the enlargement; reinforcing -fabriclayers cm- 4 into each of said flanges; means .forming a chamber within said enlargement providing for distention of at least an outer portion of said enlargement upon admission of pressurized uid into said chamber; and wall means extending from the enlargement inwardly of the annulus and defining a passage through the body to said chamber, said reinforcing layers being discontinuous about said wall means and sealed from said. passage by intervening seal material.

2. An inflatable seal for a closure, comprising: a body of resilient seal material having a mid-portion and a ange extending outwardly from said mid-portion; a layer Vof reinforcing material in the body and extending across the width thereof into said ange; means forming a chamber within said mid-portion providing for distention of at least an outer portion thereof upon admission of Y pressurized duid into said chamber; and wall means bedded in thebody and extend-ing across the width thereof 7g extending from the mid-portion and dening a passage through the body to said chamber, said reinforcing layer being discontinuous about said wall means and sealed from said passage by intervening seal material.

3. lAn inflatable seal for a closure, comprising: a body of resilient .seal material having a Y mid-portion and a ilange extending outwardly from s aid mid-portion; a layer of reinforcing material in the body and extending across the width thereof into said dange, an opening continuously through said ilange and layer adaptedjfor extension of a bolt therethrough; .means forming a chamber within said mid-portion providingfor distentinon of at least an outer portion thereof upon admission of pressurized fluid into said chamber; and wall means extending from the mid-portion and defining a passage through thebody to ,said chamber, said reinforcing layer being discontinuous about said wall means and sealed from said passage by intervening seal material.

4. An inflatable seal for a closure, comprising: an annular body. of resilient seal material having a central enlargement and an outwardly extending ange at either side of the enlargement; reinforcing layers embedded in the body and extending across the width thereof into each of said flanges; means forming a chamber within said enlargement having a rectangular cross-section and providing for distention of at least an outer portion of said enlargement upon admission of pressurized uid into said chamber, said chamber being disposed outwardly Yof the cross-sectional center of the body and with its long dimension parallel to said portion to provide increased flexibility to said outer portion; and wall means extending from the enlargement inwardly of the annulus and dening a'passage through the body to said chamber, said reinforcing layers being discontinuous about Said wall means and sealed from said passage by intervening seal material.

5.-Seal means for mounting on a closure, comprising: a'body of resilient seal material having an enlarged portion and an outwardly extending lilange at ia side of the enlarged portion; a reinforcing layer embedded in the lbody and extending across the Width thereof into said iange,said flange and layer having an opening extending continuously therethrough; means forming a chamber within saidl enlarged .portion providing for distention of at least an outer wall of said enlarged portion upon Yadmission of pressurized fluid into said chamber; means extendingv from the enlarged portion and dening a passage through the body to said chamber, said reinforcing layer being discontinuous about the passage defining means and'sealed from said passage by'intervening seal material;

a clamp bar overlying said ilange and having an opening therein aligned with the opening through saidy ange and reinforcing layer; and a securing member extendingthrough said openings to effect a clamping of the llange byy said' bar.

6. An inatable seal for a closure, comprising:V an

VYannular body of resilient seal material having a central enlargement and a laterally extending flange at either side of the inner portion of said enlargement; reinforcing fabric layers embedded in the body and extending'across the width thereof into each of said llanges; means forming a chamber Within said enlargement and disposed outwardly relative to the flanges providing for distention of at least an outer portion of said enlargement upon admission of pressurized uid into said chamber; and a portion of the body defining a passa-ge extending inwardly from said chamber, said reinforcing being discontinuous about said passage defining portion and sealed from said passage by intervening seal material.

7. A scalable closure, comprising: a door having a peripheral, annular plate; an annular body of resilient seal material extending around the outside of the plate having a-central enlargement and a laterally extending flange at either side of the inner portion of said enlargement; reinforcing fabric layers embedded in the body and extending across the `width thereof into each of said flanges, said flanges and layers having a plurality of continuous openings therethrough; means forming a chamber within said enlargement providing for outward distention of at least an outer portion of said enlargement upon admission of pressurized fluid into said chamber;

wall means extending inwardly from the enlargement and dening a passage through the body to said chamber, said reinforcing being discontinuous about said wall means and sealed from said passage by intervening seal material; clamp bar means outwardly overlying the flanges and having openings therein aligned with said openings in the flanges and reinforcing layers; and a plurality of bolts extending through said aligned openings into secured engagement with he plate to clamp sealingly the flanges between the clamp bar means and the plate along the entire periphery of the door.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,427,477 Shapiro Sept. 16. 1947 2,704,387 Clay et al Mar. 22, 1955 2,720,011 Krupp Oct. 11, 1955 2,746,774 Nielsen May 22, 1956 2,760,791 Neubauer et al. Aug. 28, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 494,402 Great Britain Oct. 2S, 1938 709,513 Germany Aug. 19, 1941 

